The present invention relates to lights, and in particular to a fold-up navigation light for boats and the like.
Various government regulations require boaters to display navigation lights so that the operators of marine crafts can easily determine the position and direction of movement of such marine vehicles. In addition to requiring a red port side bow light and a green starboard side bow light, boat operators are required to display a white light either at the stern of the boat or at another position aft of the bow lights at a predetermined elevation. Such white lights are commonly referred to as all-round lights or 360.degree. lights, and are required to project an uninterrupted beam of light in all directions in a substantially horizontal plane which is not obstructed by the boat.
Many recreational boats include raised areas, such a windshields, raised decks, flying bridges, and the like which can interfere with the light emitted from an all-round light. Consequently, such navigation lights must be raised to a substantial elevation above the deck of the boat in which the same is mounted, so as to achieve an uninterrupted beam of light in all directions. Consequently, the support poles associated with such navigation lights have become quite long, presenting substantial difficulty in the handling and storage of the same.